Friday, August 24, 2012

Getting to Know.. Marlee Matlin

  • Born on this date (August 24) in 1965, she is 47 years old.
  • middle name is "Beth"
  • Grew up in Morton Grove, Illinois near Chicago of Russian Jewish descent
  • Her father was an automobile dealer
  • Became deaf when she was a year and a half old after she suffered a series of fevers, the only person in her family who is deaf
  • Married Burbank police officer Kevin Grandalski in 1993
  • Has four children: Sarah, Brandon, Tyler and Isabelle
  • Won an Oscar for her role as the deaf student in Children of a Lesser God, the only deaf person to win an Acadamy Award
  • Won a Golden Globe award along with two additional nominations, and has four Emmy nominations
  • Played a lawyer on her own TV series, Reasonable Doubt
  • Took the role of a political analyst on The West Wing
  • Plays a character on Showtime’s The ‘L’ Word
  • Attended the Jewish Temple for the Deaf B’nai Shalom located in Skokie
  • Discovered by Henry Winkler
  • Author of two Children’s books
  • Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in May 2009
  • Competed in the 6th season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars
  • A finalist on the NBC's Celebrity Apprentice, she came in second place raising a million dollars for her charity, The Starkey Hearing Foundation, the most ever been raised for charity in a single event on any TV show  
  • Her autobiography is titled I'll Scream Later
  • Is currently playing an ongoing role on ABC Family's Switched at Birth